1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a seat assembly for an automotive vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to a seat assembly that is movable between a seating position, a stand-up position, and a kneeling position.
2. Description of Related Art
It is common in certain mini-van and sport utility vehicles to provide third row seating. Typically, the vehicle includes a pair of front doors adjacent front row seating and a pair of rear doors located adjacent second row seating. The third row seating is located at the generally furthermost rear portion of the vehicle and is not located adjacent a door opening. Thus, passengers do not have direct access to the third row seating.
To provide access to the third row seating or a rear storage area, it is well known that the second row seating may have a releasable seat back locking mechanism which is capable of being manually actuated in order to pivot the seat back forwardly to an access position. Optionally, the second row seating may be movable to a tumbled position adjacent the front row seating, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,135,555 to Liu et al. In Liu, the seat back is first folded forward flat against the seat cushion and then both are pivoted about a pivot point at a lower front edge of the seat cushion approximately 90 degrees until the seat back and seat cushion are substantially upright. In this position, the seat back of the second row seating is disposed between the seat cushion of the second row seating and the front row seating. A passenger can then enter the vehicle through one of the rear doors, moving past the tumbled second row seating, to gain access to the third row seating or the rear storage area. However, movement of the second row seating in this manner can be difficult for some passengers, and the passageway for ingress and egress is often uncomfortably small for other passengers.
In order to provide better access to the third row seating it has been proposed to move the second row seating to a stand-up position, such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,676,216 to Freijy et al. In Freijy, the seat cushion pivots forward about a pivot point at a lower front edge from a generally horizontal position for supporting a seat occupant to a generally vertical position. At the same time the seat back moves from a first vertical position for supporting the seat occupant to a second vertical position forward and upward of the first vertical position. The seat back and seat cushion move dependently due to a linkage therebetween. However, this embodiment of the second row seating disclosed in Freijy is not movable to a kneeling position lying against the floor for increasing the available cargo space in the rear storage area of the vehicle.
In seat assemblies that are stowable, the seat back is pivotally coupled to the seat cushion at a seat back pivot located between a lower end of the seat back and a rearward end of the seat cushion. The seat back pivot allows the seat back to pivot between a generally upright position and a forwardly folded position overlying the seat cushion. The seat cushion often includes a four-bar-linkage or front and rear legs extending between the seat cushion and the floor of the vehicle for moving the seat cushion between a raised position spaced above the floor and a lowered position resting along the floor. In the stowed position the seat cushion is in the lowered position and the seat back is in the forwardly folded position. Thus, a back side of the seat back is generally horizontal and parallel to the floor and defines a load floor when the seat assembly is in the stowed position.
It is therefore desirable to provide a seat assembly that is movable between a seating position and a stand-up position to improve access to an area behind the seat assembly. It is also desirable that the seat assembly be movable between the seating position and a kneeling position to increase the cargo space in the vehicle.